Help Me
by YellowShadess
Summary: Booth and Brennan uncover a secret that has plagued Booth for the last 20 years. Completely AU. Set in season 3
1. Chapter 1

**Hi guys! YellowShadess here with a new story! This is completely AU and will focus in the 3rd season. Follow Booth and Brennan as they try to uncover a secret thats been hidden for 20 years. Here we go!**

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Seeley…

Seeley….

Please.. find me..

Booth bolted awake. The voice plagues his mind every year round this time. He turned over and grabbed his phone. March 27th. Yeah. its the day again. The day of the last time he ever saw her. This was different though, this year marks 20 years since she disappeared. He hated the day already. He sulked out of bed and made his way to the bathroom. He looked in the mirror and saw the results of restless sleep. He rubbed his eyes and thought back to when he was a kid…

 _Years ago..._

 _"April! Come on! We are gonna be late for school!" 14 year old Seeley Booth called up to his older sister. She came trotting down the stairs with 10 year old Jared in tow,_

 _"Relax Seeley! I wouldn't let you be late to your first day of high school!" She ruffled his hair, which she knew annoyed him, " We are dropping Jared off first then we will make our way to school." The 17 year old quietly peered into the living room and saw her father still passed out drunk from the night before. She thanked god silently and rushed her brothers out of the house before he would wake and cause pain. Seeley noticed his sisters uneasiness,_

 _"Is he still sleeping?" She nodded and ushered them out the door and to school,_

Booth finished washing his face and got dressed for the day. He hoped that today would go easy until he heard his phone ring. The ringtone indicated that there was a body to be examined. He sighed and answered the phone. Once he got the details he made the call to his partner,

"Brennan"

"Hey Bones are you at the lab? I have a body for you." He tried to seem casual but was failing,

"Yeah I was just working on a limbo case. Want me to send me the address and I'll meet you there?" He shook his head thinking she could see him,

"I'll swing by and pick you up." He sounded defeated and she quickly picked up on it,

"Are you okay Booth? You sound different." He straightened up and spoke,

"Yeah I'm fine. Just tired. I'll be at the lab in 20 min be ready." He hung up. He didn't know why he just hung up like that on her, he never did that. He knew he would hear about that in the car. He pulled up to the Jeffersonian and informs his partner that he is here. He usually greets her in the lab but he was too tired to get out the car. 5 minutes later he saw his partner trotting out of the lab carrying her giant case of equipment. He instantly felt bad for not going in and helping her. He got out and quickly grabbed the case, threw it in the trunk and made his way back into the drivers seat. Brennan was sitting in the passengers side reading the file that was on the seat. He began driving and filled her in on the case,

"Body found in Lafayette Square. A woman jogging this morning tripped over the body. They said that the body is almost completely gone of flesh so that's where you come in Bones." She looked at him puzzled,

"Lafayette Square? That's a very public area how did no one notice the body if it's almost completely stripped of flesh?" He shrugged his shoulders,

"that's what we are gonna find out." She studied him for a moment, sensing something was up,

"Hey, are you okay? You seem off." He looked at her weird,

"What do you mean 'off'?" He sounded a little angry,

"You hung up today without saying goodbye, you didn't come into the lab and your tone isn't your usual tone. Is something bothering you? Do you want to talk about it? Because I would be the most logical person to speak to if something is upsetting you." He chuckled lightly, even if she didn't know it she always knew how to make him feel a little better,

"I'm okay Bones. I promise. I just couldn't sleep last night. I think I need a new mattress." He lied. The real reason he couldn't sleep was because every time he would he would dream about her and about the last time he saw her. Brennan seemed to accept this answer and started to go off about how a new mattress would be good for his back. They continued on until they got to the crime scene. After an initial examination and with the body shipped back to the lab the partners got back in the car and made their way on,

"So, I hope that limbo case wasn't important." She shook her head,

"I was at a standstill anyways. DNA didn't match anyone and dental records are coming up inconclusive. There are signs of homicide though, the hyoid was cracked suggesting that she was strangled." Booth nodded,

"You need help with an ID?" He asked and she nodded,

"Angela was working on a facial reconstruction, hopefully she has completed it and we can run it through to see if anyone matches."

"Well, what do you have so far?" She thought back to the case and listed off her findings,

"Female, 16-25, died 20 years ago. There are.. signs of abuse; some evidence of remodeled breaks and fractures all over the body." Booth inwardly shuttered at those words. Abuse cases always hit him hard. They made their way back to the lab and worked on their current case at hand.

By the end of the day they had their killer and was working on paperwork. The partners sat on the couch in Brennan's office, eating Thai and finishing up the case. Angela walked in and greeted the partners,

"Hey sweetie. Hey Booth! I'm leaving so I came to say goodnight. Also, Bren I have the facial reconstruction for your limbo victim." She handed her best friend the print so she could examine it. Brennan handed it to him after. When Booth saw the artists rendering his blood went cold.

"Excellent work Angela. I will see you tomorrow." The artist said her goodbyes and left. Brennan turned to her partner and saw his pale expression,

"Booth. Are you okay?" She places a hand on his shoulder and got his attention. He looked at her with wide eyes and spoke,

"You said this was a female age 17 and she died 20 years ago?" She shook her head,

"I didn't specify her exact age-" he cut her off,

"She was 17 Bones." She looked at him confused,

"How do you know that? Did.. did you know her?" She asked scared, he nodded,

"Her name is April Grace Booth. She's my older sister."

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 **I hope you guys enjoyed the beginning! there is loads more coming! -J.A.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! I'm happy you guys enjoyed the first chapter! Here is chapter 2 UPDATE: I italicized the flashbacks, someone had pointed it out to me that it is easier to read the flashbacks with them.**

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Brennan sat their shocked,

"Your sister?" She asked. He jumped up and ran to bone storage. Earlier in the day she explained that she left the bones out to examine later on. She chased after him. He stopped short at the door and stared at the bones. He heard Brennan calling him but he ignored it. He slowly made his way over to the table. He couldn't believe his eyes. Brennan stopped at the door and watched her partner,

"Booth." He didn't look up

"April. I'm sorry." She heard him whisper

"Booth?" She said quietly. He kneeled in front of the table and broke down. Brennan was quickly on the floor beside him to comfort him.

"Booth, we.. we don't know for certain-" he shook his head,

"No Bones. I know it's her." Brennan didn't argue with him. She knew that this wasn't the time. They sat on the floor for a while before he spoke once more,

"I was 14. She was 17 and Jared was 10. My dad was still living with us..."

 _"WHICH ONE OF YOU UNGRATEFUL SHITS DIDNT DO THE DISHES!?" The siblings heard their dad yell. April ushered her younger brothers into their room,_

 _"Guys. I'm going down there. Do not come down." Seeley shook his head,_

 _"April no-" she cut him off,_

 _"Seeley. You stay up here and look after Jared. I will be okay." She kissed both of their foreheads and made her way down to the kitchen to face her father._

 _Seeley sat on his bed holding Jared. He listened to his fathers cruel words and his sisters cries. After 15 min everything was quiet. All he heard was the door slam and the car start. He looked out the window and saw that the car was gone. She really left them behind, just like their mother. Seeley put Jared to bed and we went on to cry himself to sleep. When he woke he saw that the car was back. He jumped up and ran to her room but she wasn't there. She wasn't anywhere to be found. He grew worried. Where was she?_

"After a few days I called pops. I told him what happened and that April was missing. He came immediately, had us get our stuff and we went to live with him. She's been missing for 20 years. Until now." Brennan tightened her hold on him,

"I'm so sorry Booth. Let me run the construction through and see if it's her."

"I'm telling you Bones. It's her. I'm sure of it." She nodded

"I want to confirm it. We will find out what happened to her." She hugged him and he thanked her. She offered to drive him home and surprisingly he didn't argue.

Brennan drove Booth back to his apartment. No words were said between the partners but that didnt bother them. When she pulled up to the front of his building she began to get out of the car to walk him up like he does for her. He stopped her though,

"I don't want you walking back down alone." She went to argue with him but saw the look in his eyes and decided against it. She nodded

"i'll be back in the morning." He shook his head,

"Bones…"

"Im coming back in the morning." He didnt argue with her. They said goodbye and went their separate ways. She watched him walk into his apartment. She made her way back to the jeffersonian, determined to get more information by morning. She worked all night. Finding cause of death, calling Angela while she was sleeping to ask for help to run the picture through the missing persons database. She didn't want to wait for Angela to get here in the morning. She cataloged every remodeled fracture, every broken and healed bones and every sign of abuse she found

It was nearly 8 am when a match came back from the missing persons database. It was definitely April Booth. Brennan sighed in sadness for her partner. She grabbed all the information she gathered and went back to her partners house it explain to him that his sister was dead.

Booth shuffled to the door when he heard the knock. He knew who it was and he was dreading what she had to say. He opened the door and found his partner still in the same clothes as last night. He stepped back and let her in. She turned to him and held out a file,

"I ran Angela's facial recognition through the national missing person's database. I-I'm sorry Booth. It matched to April." He opened up the file and saw her picture. He dropped to the couch as tears welled in his eyes. Brennan sat down next to him and put an arm around him in an effort to console him. He leaned slightly into her embrace and spoke,

"What did you find?" He said in a raspy voice,

"Booth, Maybe I can explain everything lat-" He cut her off,

"Please Bones. I need to know." She sighed and spoke,

"I found cause of death to be strangulation. There was signs of a struggle. She fought hard." He nodded as he continued to stare at his sisters picture

"Where was she found?" He asked with tears laced in his voice. Hesitantly she told him,

"The… remains were found roughly five years ago by a hiker and his dog deep in the woods of Allengheny National Forest." The name brought him back to a happier time,

" _April! Seeley! I wanna climb the tree too!" 5 year old Jared whined as he watched his two older siblings climb the big pine tree,_

 _"You can't Jared you're too small!" 9 year old Seeley yelled back down. The young boy ran to his mother who was sitting on a rock watching her kids have fun. She was glad to get them away from their father. She was trying to hide his drinking from the kids but it was slowly coming out. She was jarred from her thoughts when she heard her youngest crying and running to her,_

 _"Mommy! Seeley said im too small to climb with him and April but im not!" She gathered her sad son and soothed him,_

 _"I'm sorry baby, Seeley is right. You can get seriously hurt. I promise though, you'll grow big enough to climb with your older sister and brother very soon." She calmed down her son and had him go back to playing. It was peaceful in Allengheny Forest right now, it was a tuesday afternoon during the summer, She always brought her kids to this forest a lot over the summer, they loved nature and it was nice to get them fresh air_

"We used to go there all the time. My mother would take us there over the summer, we would climb trees and hike far." Brennan tightened her hold on him,

"Im so sorry Booth. I promise you we will find out what happened to her and get her the justice she deserves." All Booth could do is nod.

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 **Here you guys go! I hope you enjoy this chapter! I'll be posting more soon! See ya on the flipside guys -J.A.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey guys! I'm glad you guys enjoyed the story so far! Here is chapter 3!**

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Booth stayed home that day, Brennan having informed Director Cullen of the case and the identity. He made it a top priority, besides Booth, Agent Christopher Mullaney was one of the top Major crimes agents at the Hoover, and one of Booths close friends at the bureau. Brennan reluctantly agreed to work the case with him, dispite the fact that she only worked with Booth but she got the ok from him. Agent Mullaney was a respectful man but, like the other agents, he thought he was better than the scientists. Booth warned him about the squid squad so he proceeded with caution. First on the agenda was to talk to one of the people who saw April last, Booth.

Booth sat at his desk while Mullaney sat across from him and Brennan standing next to Booth,

"Booth, I'm so sorry for your loss. Can you tell me what you remember from the night April disappeared?" Booth took a deep breath and relayed the horrible night to the commanding agent. Mullaney wrote down every important detail of that night. Brennan stood close to Booth and offered a comforting hand on his shoulder. When he was done Mullaney asked another question,

"Do you know where I can find your father?" Booth shook his head,

"I haven't seen him since I called my grandfather about April's disappearance. He came and got me and my brother and the last time I saw my father was him standing on our front porch with a bottle of scotch in his hand." Mullaney nodded,

"Your father had a history of violence towards you and your siblings?" The only thing Booth could do was nod. Mullaney wrote it down and shut his notebook,

"Booth, I need to speak to your grandfather and brother. I know its against protocol but I know you want to join me. Lets go."Booth was grateful for the kindness from his friend. Booth and Brennan accompanied the commanding agent to Sunny Hills Senior Center to question one Hank Booth. It has already been established that Brennan accompanies them at all times, they are partners after all.

After being buzzed in Booth, Mullaney and Brennan were seated in an empty office, waiting for Hank to come down,

"Shrimp!" Booth looked up and saw his grandfather, his saving grace, coming his way,

"Pops," he sighed in relief and gave the man a hug.

"What are you doing here? This is a surprise, and you've brought guests." He smiled at Brennan and Mullaney,

"Pops, this is my partner Dr. Temperance Brennan and my colleague Agent Christopher Mullaney." Hank shook both of their hands and took a seat,

"What is this about shrimp? I know you didnt bring them here to meet me." Booth bowed his head and sighed, letting Brennan take over,

"Mr Booth-" He cut her off,

"You can call me Hank Sweetheart." He smiled the signature Booth smile she's grown so fond of,

"Hank, we've discovered some…. remains" He looked shocked and turned to Booth,

"Who's remains?" Booth let out a shaker sigh,

"April's pops. Bones identified her yesterday." Hank sat there in complete shock,

"That son of a bitch." Booth looked up at his grandfather in complete shock,

"Who Mr Booth?" Asked Mullaney. Hank looked at the agent and spoke,

"My son. He did this, I know it." Booth spoke up,

"He confessed to this?" Hank shook his head,

"He never directly said he killed her but the day I came to get you and Jared while you guys were packing I asked him where April was and he said he didn't know, that she wasn't his problem anymore. Now you say she's dead… He did it. He had to." Booth couldn't handle it. He left the room with Brennan in tow. She found him sitting outside of the door on the floor with his head in his hands. She sat next to him and put a comforting arm around him and allowed him to lean into her, something she never let anyone do to her.

"Bones, what do I do?' She saw tears in his eyes, which brought tears to her own,

"We get justice Booth, for her." The partners sat there in comforting silence. Mullaney mad his presence known,

"I've finished my interview. Lets go back to the Hoover." Booth got up and said goodbye to his grandfather, hugging him a little longer than usual.

They made it back to the Hoover and up to their respective offices, Mullaney working on finding Booths father. Booth sat at his desk with his head in his hands. Brennan went around to his side and put a hand on his shoulder,

"Booth, are you okay?" She asked softly. He shook his head,

"If my father is the one who killed her I don't know what I'm going to do" He put his head in his hands and cried silent tears. Brennan went around the desk and embraced him, comforting him in this difficult time. Mullaney walked in on the partners intimate moment. He cleared his throat,

"Booth, we have located your brother. Lets go talk to him." Booth nodded and got up and followed his friend.

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 **Here we go! I hope you liked this** **chapter! I will post more next week! See ya on the flipside guys! -J.A.**


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